A Framework for Approaching AI Education in Educator Preparation Programs

In recent years, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has fostered an urgent need to better prepare current and future educators to be able to integrate AI technologies in their teaching and to teach AI literacy to PreK-12 students. While many organizations have developed professional learning opportunities for inservice educators, a gap remains for resources specifically designed for those facilitating and enrolled in Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs). In response to this gap, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) launched its first AI Explorations for EPPs Faculty Fellowship. As a result of the Faculty Fellows’ collaboration, this paper articulates a framework of seven critical strategies with the potential to address the urgent need EPPs have in preparing preservice teachers to effectively integrate AI-powered instructional tools and to teach this new area of content knowledge in PreK-12 classrooms. In addition, we provide a review of literature and an overview of the emerging needs for integrating AI education in EPPs. We demonstrate why support for preservice teachers’ critical examination and application of AI, including a focus on the issues of equity, ethics, and culturally responsive teaching, is essential to their later success in PreK-12 classrooms. Recommendations for further research and learning are also provided to promote community-wide initiatives for supporting the integration of AI in education through Educator Preparation Programs and beyond.